1853-1903 


THE  RECORD  OF  FIFTY  YEARS; 


HISTORICAL  SERMON 

DELIVEEED  BY 

Rev.  Franklin  L.  Graff 


AT  THE 

SEMI-CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION 
OF  THE 

First  Congregational  Church 


CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS 
Sunday,  November  1,  1903 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


https://archive.org/details/recordoffiftyyeaOOgraf 


2  ”^'3', 

(5-  7.^8  r 


/ 


THE  RECORD  OF  FIF'TY  YEARS. 

^*And  ye  shall  hallow  the  fiftieth  year. — A  jubilee  shall  that 
fiftieth  year  he  unto  you."  Lev.  25:10-11. 


Fifty  years  ag^o  today,  November  1st,  1853,  a  little 
group  of  men  and  women  met  by  appointment  in  the 
private  residence  of  Moses  P.  Snelling,  Urbana,  Illinois. 
A  Congregational  missionary,  the  Rev.  W.  M.  Blanchard, 
had  called  that  company  together  to  transact  important 
business.  A  record  of  the  meeting  says  that  the  fol¬ 
lowing  named  persons  were  present  and  shared  in  the 
transaction:  Moses  P.  Snelling,  Caroline  Snelling,  John 
Rankin,  Mary  A.  Rankin,  Alsetha  Snyder,  Tamer  Camp¬ 
bell  and  Jane  Higgins.  The  exact  spot  on  which  the 
Snelling  home  was  located  cannot  now  be  determined, 
but  it  was  within  a  short  walk  of  the  old  county  court¬ 
house  and  immediately  south  of  the  present  site. 

Before  the  meeting,  thus  referred  to,  is  called  to 
order,  there  will  be  time  to  glance  at  some  facts  which 
will  afford  an  idea  of  the  times  in  which  this  gathering 
occurred.  Twenty  years  previously,  in  the  year  1833, 
Urbana  had  been  made  the  county  seat.  As  early  as  in 
1822  the  first  settlers  had  arrived  at  that  place.  This 
choice  of  location  was  determined  by  its  proximity  to 
the  “Big  Grove”,  whose  southern  point  was  at  the  pres¬ 
ent  Crystal  Lake,  and  whose  great  length  stretched 
away  a  distance  of  fully  twelve  miles.  In  those  days  the 
early  residents  of  this  section  of  the  state  seemed  ready 
to  take  to  the  woods, because  their  choice  was  invariably 
(3  near  a  “piece  of  timber”.  An  early  map  of  Illinois, 
issued  in  the  year  1835,  shows  Urbana,  Sidney  and 


Homer,  but  no  indication  as  yet  of  the  town  of  Cham¬ 
paign.  At  that  time  the  country  immediately  west  of 
the  Urbana  site  was  one  great  prairie,  while  that  por¬ 
tion  of  it  which  is  now  the  business  section  of  Cham¬ 
paign  was  one  vast  impassible  ‘‘slough”. 

At  the  time  of  the  meeting,  our  state  had  long  been 
settled  at  its  southern  end.  The  stirring  events  sur¬ 
rounding  the  history  of  Kaskaskia  are  long  since  past. 
In  the  northern  section, that  tier  of  counties  which  fringe 
the  lake  and  the  territory  now  known  as  Wisconsin,  had 
been  occupied  by  colonies  from  New  England,  and  had 
furnished  the  character  and  spirit  that  saved  Illinois  for 
the  Union.  The  census  of  1850  indicated  the  population 
of  the  United  States  to  be  23,000,000,  while  our  state  had 
but  851,470,  or  fourteenth  in  the  number  of  inhabitants. 
At  that  date  but  111  miles  of  railway  were  in  operation 
in  this  commonwealth.  Franklin  Pierce  is  now,  Nov¬ 
ember  1,  1853,  defining  his  new  policy  as  president  of 
the  United  States.  Jefferson  Davis  is  Secretary  of  War, 
Abraham  Lincoln  is  an  obscure  country  lawyer,  while 
Queen  Victoria  is  just  in  the  teens  of  her  reign.  Cham¬ 
paign  is  not  dreamed  of,  as  yet  its  territory  is  but 
part  of  a  sparsely  settled  prairie  whose  great  wealth  has 
but  now  begun  to  disclose  itself  to  the  minds  of  men. 

A  movement  was  headed  herewards,  however,  that 
was  destined  strangely  to  affect  this  locality,  and  to  play 
an  important  part  in  the  history  of  this  growing  state. 
The  Illinois  Central  railway  was  rapidly  pushing  its  way 
southward  into  this  section.  Subsequent  to  the  above 
date,  in  February  1854,  it  delivered  passengers  as  far 
south  as  the  present  town  of  Loda,  while  on  the  25th 
of  July,  in  that  same  year,  it  reached  the  point  now 
known  as  Champaign.  The  coming  of  this  promoter  of 


2 


civilization  was  immediately  felt  here  in  the  rapid  en¬ 
trance  of  many  settlers  into  this  reg’ion.  This  section 
of  the  state,  therefore,  was  in  a  beginning"  of  a  vigorous 
and  influential  life.  The  air  was  full  of  the  prophecy  of 
great  events  to  come.  There  was  promise  already  of 
the  important  function  which  this  district  was  to  have 
in  the  entire  history  of  the  state. 

The  little  group,  to  which  we  now  return,  had  not 
gathered  to  form  a  land  company,  to  invest  in  railway 
securities,  to  discuss  affairs  of  state,  or  to  engage  in 
social  enjoyment.  A  far  more  serious  and  important 
purpose  had  drawn  them  together.  It  was  nothing  less 
than  to  form,  under  the  guidance  of  God,  as  they  con¬ 
fidently  believed,  a  Congregational  church.  Their  aim 
was  to  plant  here  an  institution  dedicated  to  civil  and  re¬ 
ligious  freedom.  Their  hope  in  organizing  such  a  church 
was  that  the  faith  of  the  Pilgrims  could  flourish  in  the 
land  of  the  prairies.  “A  democratic  church  for  a  demo¬ 
cratic  people.”  And  so,  under  the  direction  of  God  and 
immediately  led  by  the  missionary  pastor,  a  simple 
creed  and  covenant  were  adopted  by  them,  thus  consti¬ 
tuting  a  Congregational  church. 

At  that  time  but  a  few  other  religious  organizations 
existed  in  this  locality.  The  Methodist  church  had  been 
in  the  community  for  some  years,  and  was  worshiping  in 
a  small  meeting  house  in  the  eastern  part  of  Urbana. 
The  First  Presbyterian  church,  now  of  Champaign, 
had  been  created  in  the  year  1850,  but  it  does  not  ap¬ 
pear  to  have  grown  in  membership  or  as  yet,  Novem¬ 
ber  1,  1853,  to  have  secured  a  house  of  worship.  In  the 
region  were  representatives  of  other  denominations,  but 
none  of  these  had  been  gathered  into  churches  of  their 
faith  and  order.  The  present  Baptist  and  Methodist 


3 


churches  in  Champaig*n  were  organized  in  about  the  years 
1855-8.  It  will  be  seen,  therefore,  that  neither  comity 
nor  courtesy  was  violated  in  the  establishment  of  this 
Congregational  church. 

A  westward  movement  of  the  population  of  Urbana 
occurred  at  once  after  the  completion  to  this  point  of 
the  Illinois  Central.  Homes  were  built  east  of  the  rail¬ 
road  in  the  year  1854-5,  and  it  was  in  these  modest 
dwellings  that  the  little  church  often  met.  Mr.  Snelling, 
who  had  built  a  new  residence  on  east  University  Ave., 
where  is  now  the  “Way”  house,  again  welcomed  the 
young  organization  to  his  home.  Previous  to  this,  the 
church  had  met  frequently  in  the  court-house  in  Urbana. 
This  new  settlement  was  at  first  known  as  Urbana  De¬ 
pot.  Later  it  was  called  West  Urbana,  and  about  the 
years  1861-()2,  the  name  of  the  County  was  applied  to 
the  town,  and  it  is  henceforth  styled  Champaign. 
Here  a  confusion  seems  to  have  arisen  over  the  use  of 
the  name  “Depot”,  Some  of  the  old  church  records 
speak  of  services  being  held  in  the  “Depot”.  From  such 
references  it  has  been  concluded  that  religious  meetings 
were  actually  held  in  the  railroad  building.  Yet  it  is 
just  possible  that  such  is  not  the  case.  Our  own  records 
speak  frequently  of  meeting  in  the  “Depot”.  But  they 
also  say, “In  the  home  of  Brother  Snelling”,  or  “Urbana 
Depot — Church  met  in  the  home  of  Brother  Barnes.” 
The“Depot”was  a  term,  therefore,  commonly  applied  to 
the  settlement,  and, while  it  may  be  true  that  the  railroad 
buildings  have  been  used  for  worship,  such  a  conclusion 
appears  to  be  a  wrong  inference  from  records  similar 
to  those  which  I  have  examined. 

The  early  struggles  of  the  church  to  maintain  its 
life  and  to  secure  a  permanent  home  are  fascinating  and 


4 


not  a  little  touching’.  Rev.  Mr.  Blanchard  continued 
his  relation  with  the  church  as  missionary  until  Janu¬ 
ary  1855,  after  which  time  the  church  was  without  pas¬ 
toral  care.  But  during-  this  interim  earnest  effort  was 
being-  put  forth  to  secure  suitable  location  and  build  a 
house  of  worship.  The  Illinois  Central  kindly  g-ranted 
a  piece  of  g-round  on  the  eastern  edg-e  of  its  rig-ht-of-way, 
and  here  the  enthusiastic  young-  church  proceeded  to 
erect  its  first  meeting--house.  Its  site  was  at  the  pres¬ 
ent  location  of  the  Commercial  bank,  at  the  corner  of 
East  University  avenue  and  First  street,  and  at  that 
time  was  far  from  an  ideal  spot.  Substantially  the 
whole  plat  was  a  watery  hollow  where  for  g-enerations 
wild  birds  had  flocked  and  bred.  Hence  almost  immedi¬ 
ately  the  church  was  facetiously  called  “The  Goose 
Pond  Church”,  and  is  now  best  known  to  the  older  resi¬ 
dents  by  that  euphonious  title.  About  two  hundred 
dollars  were  g-iven  by  the  Cong-reg-ational  church  build¬ 
ing-  society,  and  this  tog-ether  with  g-ifts  of  money,  labor 
and  material  made  possible  the  erection  of  a  house, 
which  was  roug-hly  finished  in  the  fall  of  1855,  at  a  cost 
of  about  one  thousand  dollars .  According-  to  a  vote,  the 
house  was  to  be  in  size  25  by  40  feet,  not  including-  the 
belfry.  Its  accommodations  were  not  eleg-ant.  For 
pews  there  were  sawed  planks  supported  on  wooden 
blocks.  Little  plastering-  had  been  done  those  first  few 
months,  and  only  such  other  finishing-  as  was  deemed 
absolutely  necessary  to  shelter  the  little  flock.  For  a 
while  a  dry  g-oods  box  served  as  a  pulpit.  Yet  I  cannot 
doubt  that  the  spiritual  feast  spread  before  that  con- 
g-regation  was  wholesome  and  sweet.  In  those  early 
days  their  Communion  services  were  notable  occasions 
and  the  annals  of  that  little  band  do  not  fail  to  tell  us. 


5 


for  example,  that,  “Father  Rankin  of  Ohio  was  present 
and  administered  the  Communion — an  interesting  and 
precious  season’’. 

Preserved  among  old  documents  is  the  remnant 
of  a  subscription  paper  under  date  of  1859,  which  was 
circulated  to  finish  some  needed  work  on  the  church. 
It  shows  signs  of  wear,  and  is  indeed  so  worn  at  the 
bottom  that  nothing  is  now  legible  of  the  names  except 
Mr.  Vandyke  and  Daniel  Rugg.  Some  saint  had  car¬ 
ried  this  “cross”  for  the  Master’s  sake.  The  paper  is 
an  eloquent  witness  of  the  toil  and  service  of  those  days. 

The  creed,  covenant  and  standing  rules  were  re¬ 
vised  and  enlarged  in  November  1854,  just  one  year  af¬ 
ter  the  organization  of  the  church.  Previous  to  this 
annual  meeting,  among  others  who  had  joined  the  mem¬ 
bership  from  eastern  states  there  had  come  M.  A. 
Barnes  and  A.  O.  Howell,  two  men  whose  service  and 
convictions  were  destined  to  deeply  affect  the  life  of  the 
church.  It  was  under  the  ardent  leadership  of  these 
and  similar  men  that  the  organization  adopted  principles 
that  have  now  become  historic.  These  laws  were 
adopted  as  the  basis  of  fellowship  and  were  vigorously 
advocated  and  maintained.  Because  of  their  importance 
and  uniqueness  three  of  them  richly  deserve  reference 
here.  And  the  tenth  standing  rule  related  to  “Mutual 
Aid, ’’and  is  as  follows: 

“We  believe  the  Christian  Church  to  be  paramount 
to  all  other  (so  called)  benevolent  organizations.  And, 
wishing  to  supercede  the  necessity  of  the  members  of  this 
church  applying  to  them  for  aid,  we  mutually  obligate 
ourselves  not  only  to  aid  every  member  of  this  our  ‘house¬ 
hold  of  faith’  in  every  laudable  pursuit,  but  especially  to 
supply  the  necessities  of  the  poor  and  destitute  of  this 


6 


church  and  if  necessary,  a  tax  may  be  levied  at  any  time 
on  our  property  (on  the  advalorum  system)  to  alleviate 
their  wants.” 

The  eleventh  rule  was  devoted  to  temperance,  its 
severe  requirments  are  given  herewith: 

“This  church,  for  reasons  too  apparent  to  require 
mentioning,  cannot  receive  into  its  communion  any  one 
who  manufactures,  buys,  or  uses  as  a  beverage  intoxica¬ 
ting  drinks,  whether  they  be  distilled  or  fermented  liquors. 
Nor  can  this  church  fellowship  any  one  who  owns  tene¬ 
ments  and  rents  them  for  the  purpose  of  the  sale  or  the 
manufacture  of  liquors.  Nor  can  we  receive  into  or  re¬ 
tain  within  our  communion  any  person  who  sells  corn  or 
other  grain  to  a  distiller  or  his  known  agent,  (and  breth¬ 
ren  are  expected  to  make  suitable  enquiries  respecting 
that  matter)  or  who  in  any  other  way  directly  aids  and 
co-operates  with  dealers  in  or  manufactures  of  ardent 
spirits  in  their  unrighteous  traffic.” 

The  third  rule  to  which  reference  ought  to  be  made 
concerns  anti-slavery  and  reads  as  follows: 

“Believing  that  no  apology  whatever  can  be  found  in 
the  word  of  God”  or  His  character  for  such  an  institution 
as  American  slavery;  and  that  this  sin  into  which  a  por¬ 
tion  of  the  Church  of  Christ  has  fallen  is  eminently  a  re¬ 
proach  to  His  cause  and  subversive  of  the  interests  of 
His  Kingdom,  we  therefore,  cannot  receive  to  our  com¬ 
munion  any  individual  who  by  example  or  precept,  per¬ 
petuates  or  sustains  the  system  of  American  Slavery.” 

Upon  the  question  of  opposition  to  slavery,  few  if  any 
churches  in  this  part  of  the  state  dared  to  take  such  posi¬ 
tive  ground.  Most  of  them  were  made  up  of  men  of  both 
views,  and  must  therefore  handle  this  very  delicate  sub¬ 
ject  with  gloves.  An  inadvertent  word  by  an  unwise 


7 


preacher  in  those  days,  would  have  precipitated  a  church 
division.  By  most  of  the  churches,  the  only  method  of 
treating  the  subject  of  slavery  was  to  ignore  it  altogether. 
It  is,  hence,  a  notable  matter  of  history  that  the  First 
Congregational  church  in  1854  boldly  proclaimed  its 
definite  conviction  that  the  institution  of  American  slavery 
was  contrary  to  the  character  and  the  Word  of  God.  Such 
attitude  was  the  occasion  of  no  little  derision  and  hostil¬ 
ity.  Not  infrequently  was  it  called  “The  nigger  church.” 
It  involved  the  loss  from  its  possible  membership  of  many 
of  those  who  were  true  and  worthy  men,  but  whose  con¬ 
victions  on  this  question  were  not  in  accord  with  this  posi¬ 
tion.  But  what  it  lost  from  the  one  side  was  more  than 
made  good  upon  the  other,  for  the  little  band  drew  to  it¬ 
self  not  a  few  of  the  new  arrivals  who  held  progressive 
and  harmonious  views  on  this  great  theme.  Down  to  and 
through  the  war  this  church  persistently  and  consistently 
refused  to  contribute  towards  any  missionary  society  which 
countenanced  the  institution  of  American  slavery. 

When  these  rules  were  adopted  by  the  church  a  spirit 
was  shown  that  reflects  great  credit  upon  these  early  mem¬ 
bers,  which  spirit  has  characterized  the  church  to  this  day. 
That  is,  the  congregational  readiness  to  yield  to  the  will 
of  the  majority  and  surrender  ones  owm  opinion  in  the 
laudable  desire  to  maintain  harmony.  The  account  says: 
“During  the  whole  of  this  long  and  protracted  sitting  (of 
nine  hours  including  a  short  intermission)  the  members 
of  the  church  exhibited  a  spirit  of  love,  unanimity,  affec¬ 
tionate  regard  and  Christian  forbearance  but  seldom  wit¬ 
nessed.  Before  the  vote  was  taken  (on  the  Covenant) 
the  whole  church  bowed  down  and  offered  up  their  united 
silent  prayer  to  Almighty  God  for  his  direction.  When 
the  vote  was  taken,  a  covenant,  that  had  been  recom- 


8 


mended  by  the  committee,  lost  by  a  minority  of  one,  and 
another  was  substituted.  Brother  Barnes,  who  had  made 
the  recommendation  and  who  had  voted  with  the  minority, 
immediately  moved  that  the  vote  be  made  unanimous, 
which  was  passed  without  a  dissenting  voice.”  Strong  in 
their  convictions,  these  members  nevertheless  were  in¬ 
fluenced  by  the  finest  spirit  of  sacrifice  and  desire  for 
unity. 

Both  public  and  private  records  prove  that  the 
church  displayed  a  broad  and  fraternal  spirit,  and  that 
the  activities  and  social  relations  of  this  body  were  neither 
narrow  nor  exclusive.  Almost  immediately  after  the  com¬ 
pletion  of  the  new  house  of  worship,  which  had  been  se¬ 
cured  by  the  greatest  sacrifice  and  devotion,  it  was  grant¬ 
ed  for  the  use  of  the  Baptists  who  were  not  yet  formed  in¬ 
to  a  religious  body,  for  worship  on  Sunday  afternoons. 
Again  the  membership  of  the  church  deeming  it  wiser  to 
join  in  a  union  Sunday  school,  than  to  form  one  of  their 
own,  declined,  even  after  strenuous  effort  by  its  mission¬ 
ary  pastor,  to  make  an  exclusively  Congregational  school, 
and  were  leaders  in  effecting  a  union  school  that  flourished 
for  years.  Later,  after  the  New  School  Presbyterian 
church  of  Urbana  was  brought  into  being,  our  fathers 
again  manifested  this  broad  fellowship  by  generously 
sharing  with  that  church  the  use  of  our  own  minister. 

Still  again,  in  1858  Baptists  and  Methodists  were  cor¬ 
dially  welcomed  to  a  series  of  special  meetings  conducted 
by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Vandyke  who  was  now  the  pastor  of  the 
church.  And,  last  of  all, a  rule  was  adopted  by  the  church 
welcoming  into  fellowship  others  whose  points  of  belief 
in  the  ordinance  of  baptism  differed  materially  from  its 
own.  While  deep  in  their  convictions  of  truth  and  duty, 
they  were  broad  in  their  spirit  of  tolerance. 


Meantime  the  community  had  been  undergoing  a  very 
marked  change.  Land  boomers  had  located  on  both 
sides  of  the  Illinois  Central  right-of-way.  Each  diligent¬ 
ly  exploited  his  own  section.  Rapid  increase  in  the  pop¬ 
ulation  occurred.  Sales  of  land  were  numerous  and  with 
constantly  increasing  value.  Houses  multiplied.  They 
were  not  palatial,  but  serving  for  the  time  the  needs  of  the 
expanding  community.  Better  ones  were  to  come  by  and 
by.  Then  appeared  the  rivalry  and  bitterness  that  has 
scarcely  died  out  in  these  later  years.  Each  locality,  that 
on  the  east  and  that  on  the  west  side  of  the  track,  strug¬ 
gled  for  supremacy.  Each  thought  itself  the  choicer  lo¬ 
cation  and  deemed  the  other  a  rival  which  it  was  right  by 
various  methods  to  defeat.  The  entire  town  was  still 
called  West  Urbana,  it  possessed  a  weekly  newspaper  and 
had  entered  upon  a  vigorous  and  growing  selfconscious¬ 
ness. 

The  church  entered  actively  into  the  social  and  civic 
life  of  the  town.  Old  documents  show  that  the  Congre¬ 
gational  church  was  very  much  alive  and  participated  in 
the  movements  of  the  day.  It  was  a  strong  factor  in 
moulding  the  community  in  ways  other  and  in  addition  to 
the  usual  religious  work.  I  have  recently  examined  old 
files  of  the  “Gazette”,  which  was  called  at  that  time  the 
Central  Illinois  Gazette,  and  found  an  interesting  and 
suggestive  picture  of  the  life  of  that  time  and  the  promin¬ 
ence  of  our  church.  The  most  early  file  to  which  I  had 
access  was  issued  in  1858,  and  a  hasty  glance  over  the 
news  items  from  the  winter  and  fall  of  that  year,  elicited 
the  following: 

“The  Lyceum  meets  every  Friday  night  in  the  Con¬ 
gregational  church,  the  debates  are  interesting.” 

“The  West  Urbana  Temperance  Society  meets  every 


10 


Tuesday  night  at  the  Congregational  church.  The  meet¬ 
ings  are  well  attended.  The  choir  discourses  music,  hea¬ 
venly  in  its  character,  to  us  almost  every  night.” 

“The  Young  Men’s  Literary  Association  will  discuss, 
“License  or  No  License”,  on  Friday  night,  March  19,  1858, 
at  the  Congregational  church.” 

“The  Congregational  church  has  been  conducting  a 
series  of  meetings.  The  Baptists  and  Methodists  have 
united  with  them.” 

“Educational  meeting”,  Friday,  April,  1858.  “The 
school  commissioners  call  a  meeting  to  consider  the  ques¬ 
tion  of  public  schools,  to  be  held  in  the  Congregational 
church.  The  meeting  is  for  both  sides  of  the  track.” 

School  meeting  next  Monday  night,  April  19,  1858,  at 
the  Congregational  church.”  The  same  column  devotes 
much  space  to  the  educational  meeting  on  the  preced¬ 
ing  week  at  the  same  place. 

“Citizens  of  West  Urbana  and  vicinity  are  called  to 
convene  at  the  Congregational  church  on  May  14,  1858,  to 
petition  the  Illinois  Central  authorities  to  open  a  crossing 
on  Main  street  at  the  Doan  House.” 

On  June  13,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Vandyke  announces  a  ser¬ 
ies  of  lectures  on  “The  Evidences  of  Christianity.”  The 
first  lecture  will  be,  “Man’s  Responsibility  for  His  own 
Belief.” 

“Dr.  Cutcheon  will  lecture  on  the  subject  of  graded 
schools,”  Later  considerable  space  was  given  to  an  ac¬ 
count  of  this  meeting  at  the  Congregational  church. 

“Republicans  of  West  Urbana  and  vicinity  are  re¬ 
quested  to  assemble  at  the  Congregational  church,  next 
Saturday  evening  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Lincoln 
Republican  club.”  Notice  dated  July  31,  1858. 

“J.  W.  Summers  will  address  the  Republican  club, 


11 


next  Tuesday  evening  August  7, 1858,”  at  the  same  inevit¬ 
able  place. 

Later,  a  meeting  was  called  to  take  steps  to  reor¬ 
ganize  for  the  winter  the  Literary  Club,  and  to  provide 
for  a  library  of < semi-public  functions.  And  this,  too,  at 
the  well  known  place.  The  last  paper  which  was  exam¬ 
ined,  announced  that  “The  editor  is  glad  to  state  that 
the  people  of  the  Congregational  church  have  succeeded 
in  raising  the  salary  of  Rev.  Mr.  Vandyke.  This 
ensures  his  presence  for  another  year  in  this  prairie 
section.”  He  further  expresses  his  pleasure  in  retain¬ 
ing  the  eminent  minister  by  saying,  “We  regard  Mr. 
Vandyke  sound  on  all  the  leading  questions  of  the  day.” 
Good  for  Mr.  Scroggs!  Happy  minister!  What  pastor 
today  would  not  covet  such  complimentary  remarks 
in  an  influential  public  paper? 

So  much  from  a  hasty  perusal  of  a  few  numbers  of 
a  weekly  paper  printed  in  1858.  It  is  illuminating  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  important  place  which  that  church  held  in 
the  earlv  life  of  the  town. 

Mr.  B.  F.  Harris,  Sr.,  tells  the  following  story, which 
is  added  evidence  of  the  influence  of  the  church.  “In 
June, 1856, the  Republican  convention,  assembled  at  Phil¬ 
adelphia,  nominated  John  C.  Fremont  as  its  first  candi¬ 
date  for  president  of  the  United  States.  Circuit  court 
was  then  in  session  in  Urbana.  Among  other  lawyers 
having  cases  in  that  court  was  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  yet 
but  slightly  known  to  fame.  News  came  that  John  C. 
Fremont  was  chosen.  Immediately  it  was  announced 
that  Abraham  Lincoln  would  speak  that  evening  at  the 
Congregational  church,  in  ratification  of  the  newnominee. 
Thither  the  court  and  crowd  repaired, and  listened  to  the 
speech  given  by  him  who,  four  years  later,  was  himself 


12 


to  be  enthusiastically  elected  as  the  first  president  from 
the  Republican  party.  There  in  that  little  Congregation¬ 
al  church,  dedicated  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  he  first 
spoke  for  the  new  candidate,  who  was  himself  to  become 
the  most  eminent  martyr  for  that  high  and  holy  cause. 

Much  as  any  church  would  now  welcome  this  our 
most  eminent  and  best  loved  American,  at  that  time  no 
other  church  in  this  section  dreamed  of  inviting  such  a 
political  speech  from  such  a  negro  sympathizer.  This 
address  is  said  to  be  the  first  in  Illinois,  and  perhaps  in 
the  Union,  in  ratification  of  the  new  nominee.  It  cer¬ 
tainly  was  the  first  one,  after  the  nomination,  given  by 
Abraham  Lincoln  for  John  C.  Fremont. 

Nor  was  the  young  church  without  its  influence  in 
the  councils  of  its  denomination.  Numerous  items  in 
the  records  show  its  presence  by  delegate  at  councils, 
associations,  and  special  gatherings  that  were  to  affect 
the  life  of  the  larger  body.  But  one  reference  must  suf¬ 
fice.  In  the  year  1859,  delegates  return  with  the  inter¬ 
esting  information  that  the  establishment  of  a  Divinity 
School  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  is  recommended  to  the 
churches.  This  local  church  gravely  deliberates  on  the 
subject,  and  sends  back  its  approval.  Later,  after  due 
reflection,  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary  is  created 
as  the  instrument  of  the  churches  for  the  education  of 
its  ministry.  In  all  of  the  discussions  and  in  that  decis¬ 
ion, this  church  took  active  and  cordial  part.  Still  later, 
by  vote,  the  church  accepted  its  apportionment  of  twen¬ 
ty  dollars  for  the  baby  divinity  school.  I  am  informed 
that  at  a  time  subsequent  to  this,  some  hundreds  of 
dollars  in  addition  were  secured  by  solicitation  among 
the  membership  of  the  church, for  that  same  institution. 
For  the  success  of  that  Seminary  and  for  its  influence 


13 


on  the  life  of  our  denomination,  as  well  as  its  continued 
support  therefore,  we  are  in  part  responsible. 

These  old  documents  are  not  without  their  flavor  of 
humor  for  the  modern  reader.  In  May  1855,  with  evi¬ 
dent  enthusiasm  it  is  announced  that  the  monthly  con¬ 
cert  for  missions  has  been  established.  A  mournful 
note  appended  later,  says:  “Died  out  in  July.”  It  does 
not  appear  whether  one  or  two  concerts  were  held.  Be 
careful  how  you  long-  for  “the  g-ood  old  days.”  They 
seem  to  have  shown  the  same  kind  of  human  nature  with 
which  we  are  not  altogether  unfamiliar.  In  the  year 
1856  an  emergency  meeting  called  to  provide  the  pastor's 
salary,  raises  $350  and  a  yoke  of  oxen,  total  value  $450, 
“and  that  too,”  says  the  earnest  narrator,  “within  our 
own  immediate  membership.”  What  the  preacher  was 
to  do  with  those  oxen  does  not  appear.  Perhaps  they 
were  to  be  used  in  making  pastoral  calls  through  that 
almost  bottomless  “slough.”  Or  it  may  be  that  they 
were  to  be  employed  to  pull  refractory  members  into 
line!  A  debt  appears  to  have  rested  heavily  on  the 
young  church.  A  member, accordingly, went  on  a  solicit¬ 
ing  tour  through  the  east.  He  returned  and  delighted 
the  church  by  describing  the  offer  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  of  Troy,  New  York,  to  raise  and 
send  the  amount.  After  due  deliberation  the  church 
voted,  “to  allow  the  gift  to  be  made.”  But  the  mission¬ 
ary  spirit  of  New  Yorkers  seemed  to  have  waned  all 
too  soon,  for  the  church  later, with  chastened  and  weak¬ 
ened  confidence  in  the  missionary  zeal  of  these  young 
men,  raised  the  money  from  its  own  membership  and 
discharged  the  debt. 

About  this  time,  the  committee,  Mr.  Howell,  reports 
to  the  church  that  “the  best  bell  that  could  be  sent  for 


14 


$200”  had  been  ordered  from  the  east.  How  that 
church  could  have  spent  for  a  bell  an  amount  equal  to 
one-fifth  the'Cost  of  the  entire  meeting-house,  seems  at 
this  distant  day  little  less  than  amazing.  But  this 
preceded  the  day  of  Seth  Thomas  clocks.  Before  the 
committee  had  been  authorized  to  purchase  the  bell,  the 
entire  church  had  deliberated  carefully  on  the  pitch, tone, 
and  quality  of  the  new  addition  to  its  ecclesiastical  furni¬ 
ture.  The  choir  seems  to  have  discoursed  music  other 
than“heavenly”  about  this  time,  for  a  resolution  was  in¬ 
troduced  into  the  meeting,  that  the  choir  should  be  abol¬ 
ished  and  congregational  singing  substituted.  The 
annalist  faithfully  writes:  “animated  discussion  fol¬ 
lowed”!  The  experiment  was  tried,  but  for  how  long  a 
period  the  historian  sayeth  not.  A  resolution  of  special 
interest  to  church  treasurers  was  also  adopted  by  the 
church,  declaring  that  letters  should  not  be  granted  to 
members  who  were  in  arrears  for  their  subscription. 
This  constituted  a  blot  on  their  religious  escutcheon. 
A  glimpse  into  some  of  their  problems  is  thus  afforded 
us  by  this  resolution.  I  do  not  know  that  the  rule  was 
ever  rescinded. 

The  character  of  those  early  members  is  reflected 
in  their  convictions,  actions  and  associations.  An 
occasional  visitor  to  the  young  church  was  Father  John 
Rankin  of  Ohio.  This  minister  lived  on  the  banks  ot 
the  river  at  Ripley,  and  his  home  was  the  traditional 
place  where  Eliza,  in  Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin,  was  sheltered 
after  her  thrilling  escape  across  the  river  on  the  floating 
ice.  His  house,  therefore,  was  the  southern  terminus 
of  the  “underground  railway.”  His  rugged  convictions 
and  courage  may  be  judged  readily  by  this  fact.  But 
associated  with  this,  was  a  rich  and  deep  spiritual  life. 


15 


And,  hence,  when  he  appeared  on  his  coveted  visits,  he 
ministered  to  the  church  in  the  thing's  of  the  eternal 
life,  as  well  as  to  arouse  them  to  fresh  devotion  in  the 
cause  of  freedom.  He  had  counterparts  in  this  church, 
among*  whom  was  his  son,  John  Rankin,  who  was  one  of 
the  charter  members  of  the  new  org*anization.  Other 
kindred  spirits  entered  the  membership,  drawn  by 
certain  strong*  affinities.  These  were  ready  at  any 
sacrifice,  and  in  the  face  of  any  derision,  to  defend  their 
convictions.  However  extreme  they  may  have  been 
reg*arded  by  some  at  the  time,  they  stood  ready  at  any 
cost  to  declare  the  truth. 

We  shall  now  see  that  these  professions  were  not 
empty  formulas.  Remember  what  had  been  already 
done  by  the  church,  to  maintain  its  position  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  slavery.  But  far  more  than  this  was  g*iven  in 
behalf  of  its  principles,  by  the  earnest  church.  During* 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  from  its  scant  membership 
there  went  to  the  front,  eleven  men  to  serve  and  suffer 
for  the  g*reat  cause  of  freedom.  It  was  said  at  the  time, 
that  this  church  furnished  as  many  soldiers  as  all  the 
other  churches  in  the  community,  combined.  These 
men  went  to  fulfil  the  pledg*e  which  the  church  uncon¬ 
sciously  made  to  the  world,  when  it  first  committed  it¬ 
self  in  favor  of  liberty.  This  roll  of  honor  deserves  to 
be  cherished  by  the  church,  as  among*  its  martyrs  for 
the  truth.  The  names  are:  M.  A.  Barnes,  A.  O.  Howell, 
James  Smith,  John  Rankin,  Lewis  Allen,  Wm.  Stewart, 
Jesse  Steel,  Henry  Dyson,  Peter  Peters,  Frank  Fill¬ 
more  and  Gilbert  Taylor.  This  list  does  not  include 
at  least  two  who  went  from  the  cong*regation,  .but  who 
were  not  members  of  the  church.  Of  these  eleven 
members,  four  g*ave  their  lives  in  the  service,  they  are 


16 


M.  A.  Barnes,  Wm.  Stewart,  Peter  Peters  and  Jesse 
Steel.  Truly  enough,  this  brave  church  paid  its  pledge 
of  loyalty,  by  the  gift  of  these  more  than  precious  lives, 
and  joined  that  company  of  God’s  elect,  who  have  suff¬ 
ered  in  defense  of  the  truth. 

The  record  of  the  church  is  strangely  silent  during 
the  years  of  the  war.  That  great  conflict  in  which  the 
church  had  such  intense  interest,  and  in  which  it  took 
its  full  share,  came  and  went,  and  but  four  brief  lines 
remain  to  indicate  to  the  modern  reader,  that  such  his¬ 
toric  contest  had  occurred.  The  whole  written  history 
of  the  church’s  participation  in  that  war  is:  “M.  A. 
Barnes,  died  in  the  army;  Jesse  Steel,  killed  in  the  bat¬ 
tle  of  B'ranklin;  Peter  Peters,  died  in  the  army;  Wm. 
Stewart,  died  in  the  hospital  at  Memphis.”  Such  silence 
is,  after  all,  eloquent  testimony  to  the  part  which  a 
church  may  have  in  the  life  of  its  age,  beyond  that  which 
ever  finds  its  way  into  written  history.  But  these  terse 
notations  are  sufficient  to  indicate,  that  in  the  land  of 
the  prairies,  our  Pilgrim  faith  was  still  saturated  with 
hatred  of  oppression,  and  warm  with  a  passion  for 
liberty. 

The  ministers  that  have  served  the  church,  were 
earnest,  godly  and  consecrated  men,  whose  service 
deserves  more  extended  reference  than  my  space  will 
allow.  I  can  give  but  the  most  brief  statement  of  them 
and  their  work. 

Rev.  W.  M.  Blanchard,  as  noted  above,  assisted  in 
organizing  the  church,  and  acted  as  stated  supply  until 
January  1855.  During  this  year  the  house  of  worship, 
east  of  the  track,  was  built  at  the  cost  of  $1,000. 

In  March,  1856,  a  call  was  extended  to  Rev.  W.  H. 
Halliwell  to  become  pastor  for  one  year.  He  accepted 


17 


the  call,  but  resigned  at  the  end  of  eleven  months.  In 
the  month  of  May  following,  1857,  Rev.  A.  S.  Vandyke 
accepted  a  call  to  preach  for  a  period  of  one  year.  He 
continued  his  services  eleven  vears,  or  until  Mav  18(»8, 
at  which  time  he  resigned.  His  ministry  was  one  of 
the  most  fruitful  in  the  history  of  the  church.  Within 
this  period,  the  old  house  of  worship  became  too  small 
to  accommodate  the  increasing  congregation,  and  a 
building  on  Park  street,  immediately  west  of  the  Wal¬ 
ker  Opera  House,  was  erected  in  1866,  at  a  cost  of 
S16,000. 

Rev.  E.  N.  Andrews  followed  with  a  brief  ministry 
of  six  months.  For  several  months  thereafter  the  pul¬ 
pit  was  supplied  by  Prof.  W.  M.  Baker.  On  the  third 
Sunday  in  May,  1870,  Rev.  T.  J.  Volentine  began  ser¬ 
vices  with  the  church.  His  labors  closed  in  June  1872. 
Rev.  W.  G.  Pierce  accepted  the  call  of  the  church,  and 
entered  his  pastorate  here, September  22, 1872.  During 
his  service,  on  the  evening  of  September  12,  1873,  the 
the  church  building  on  Park  street  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  In  the  year  1874  the  present  edifice,  at  the  corner 
of  State  and  Church  streets,  was  built  at  a  cost  of 
$22,000,  and  dedicated  free  from  debt.  Mr.  Pierce  re¬ 
mained  the  pastor  of  the  church  until  his  death.  His 
resignation  was  read  September  19,  1887,  just  fifteen 
years  from  the  beginning  of  his  labors.  In  accepting 
his  resignation  to  take  effect  October  1,  the  church 
elected  him  Pastor  Emeritus.  He  died  the  day  before 
the  termination  of  his  office  as  acting  pastor.  His  min¬ 
istry  was  the  longest  that  the  church  has  had,  and  was 
conspicuously  successful. 

On  April  4,  1888,  Rev.  John  Allender  inaugurated 
his  work  as  pastor,  and  continued  until  July,  1892,  at 

IS 


which  time  his  resignation  was  accepted.  The  present 
pastor,  Rev.  Franklin  L.  Graff,  began  his  services  on 
October  15,  1892,  and,  therefore  has  just  finished  his 
eleventh  year  with  the  church.  By  the  above  record  it 
will  be  seen  that  this  church  has  had  but  seven  pastors 
during  these  fifty  years. 

Judging  from  the  esteem  in  which  former  ministers 
are  still  held  in  this  city,  the  longer  pastorates  are  those 
which  are  invariably  deepest,  in  their  impression  on  the 
community  life. 

In  the  building  movements,  noted  here  in  connection 
with  the  labors  of  the  pastors,  the  church  exhibited  the 
finest  spirit  of  unanimity  and  self-sacrifice.  In  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  the  last  edifice,  this  was  true,  as  well  as  in  those 
earliest  days.  And,  therefore,  into  these  walls  have  gone 
gifts,  that  make  the  church  dear  to  us  and  precious  to  God. 
And  when  we  entered,  as  we  did  with  enthusiasm,  into 
the  work  of  remodeling  and  renovating,  which  has  just 
been  completed,  we  joined  our  service  with  theirs,  and 
thus  fitly  commemorated  our  Jubilee  year. 

Our  rolls  include  a  total  of  852  members.  According 
to  the  accustomed  method  of  computing  the  direct  work 
of  a  church — two  and  one-half  persons  for  each  member — 
we  have  as  a  result,  a  company  of  2,130  persons  directly 
affected  by  the  activities  of  the  church,  in  this  community. 
This,ofcoursecannotincludethelargerinfluence  ofa  church 
in  the  regions  beyond  its  own  immediate  locality.  Further¬ 
more, he  who  measures  the  function  of  a  Christian  church, 
by  the  number  of  names  upon  its  roll,  misses  entirely  the 
great  range  of  its  service,  for  the  forces  of  social  redem- 
tion  resident  in  a  church,  are  scarcely  second  in  impor¬ 
tance  to  the  work  of  saving  individual  men.  We  ought 
to  regard  such  influence,  as  a  significant  part  of  the  ser- 


19 


vice  to  which  the  church  is  called  by  Jesus  Christ. 

No  complete  account  ever  can  be  kept  of  the  life, 
character  and  work  of  those  who  have  entered  formally 
into  covenant  with  the  church.  Not  ‘‘until  the  pages  of 
the  soul  are  open  to  our  vision”  shall  we  be  able  to  read 
all  the  history  of  those  years.  Our  rolls’ contain  the 
names  of  those  who  have  been  honorably  distinguished 
in  our  community,  as  well  as  the  names  of  those  who 
gave  service  and  life  for  our  country.  It  is  a  noble  com¬ 
pany  of  men  and  women,  and  well  do  they  merit  a  place 
among  those  who  are  ever  to  be  esteemed  for  their  work  in 
the  Kingdom  of  God. 

The  history  of  these  later  years  discloses  many  facts 
that  are  full  of  tenderness  and  pathos.  Here  and  there  is 
the  record  of  the  dropping  from  the  ranks,  of  those  who 
have  been  actively  engaged  in  the  life  of  the  church- 
Brief  accounts  are  preserved,  of  the  death  and  final  ser¬ 
vices  of  those  who  have  gone  to  their  rich  reward.  One 
feels,  at  this  distance,  the  grief  of  the  church  in  the  loss  of 
such  great  souls.  I  dare  not  attempt  to  name  them  here, 
for  fear  that  I  might  fail  to  insert  those  who  were  equally 
valuable  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  but  whose  careers  did 
not  chance  to  find  a  human  historian.  They  are  dear  to 
the  church,  and  are  now  recalled  with  deepest  sentiments 
of  esteem  and  affection.  Not  least  among  those  who  are 
now  remembered  with  joy,  are  those  who  are  still  mani¬ 
festing  that  same  spirit  of  the  Christ,  in  cities  other  than 
our  own.  They  have  gone  from  us,  but  are  not  forgotten. 

Not  least  among  the  interesting  papers  that  are  pre¬ 
served  by  the  scribes,  are  those  which  refer  to  the  resigna¬ 
tion  and  death  of  Father  Pierce,  who  was,  for  the  fifteen 
years,  the  devoted  and  beloved  pastor  of  this  church* 
Here  is  the  last  paper  prepared  by  him  for  the  public. 


20 


Excepting  the  closing  paragraph,  it  is  written,  after  dicta¬ 
tion,  by  another  hand.  Weary  in  body,  and  disquieted 
by  disease,  he  dictates  this,  his  final  message,  to  his  dear, 
dear  church,  and  tenders  his  resignation.  After  relin-* 
quishing  his  pastorate,  and  requesting  the  church  kindly 
to  sever  the  old  relation,  he  says:  “Brethern  how  many 
days  remain  to  me  here,  I  cannot  tell.  Whether  few  or 
many,  my  daily  prayer  shall  be  for  a  blessing  on  your 
heads.  That  this  church  may  become  a  mighty  spiritual 
power  in  the  place,  is  the  yearning  of  my  heart.  From 
my  bed  of  weariness  1  send  you  cheerful  greeting.  Move 
on  Brethren  until  the  gates  swung  open  on  their  diamond 
hinges,  and  we  behold  the  glory  which  the  soul  craves, 
and  which  God  has  prepared  for  them  that  love  Him.” 

Written  with  apparant  pain,  and  much  effort,  is  this 
final  word  from  his  own  hand.  “I  had  hoped  to  dictate  a 
paper  for  this  occasion,  such  as  its  great  interest  demands, 
but  for  some  days  I  have  found  myself  inadequate  to  the 
task,  and  must  content  myself  with  this  simple  resigna¬ 
tion.  I  could  not  guide  my  feelings  if  I  should  try  to 
express  them.  I  cannot  express  the  affection  that  binds 
us  as  brethren.  I  cannot  tell  how  the  sympathy  and  love 
of  this  community  (in  the  recent  death  of  his  wife,)  has 
touched  my  heart.  All  that  is  for  future  reading  when 
the  pages  of  the  soul  shall  be  open  to  our  vision.” 

This  letter  was  written  September  17,  1887,  and 
was  read  to  the  church  on  the  following  day,  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Fonda,  of  Rantoul.  As  indicated  above,  the 
church  accepted  his  resignation  to  take  effect  October 
1st,  and  made  him  Pastor  Emeritus.  On  September  30, 
only  a  few  days  thereafter,  those  heavenly  gates  swung 
“open  on  their  diamond  hinges,”  and  welcomed  him 
home. 


21 


Events,  that  found  no  permanent  entry  in  our  his¬ 
tory, nevertheless, have  had  a  large  place  in  the  life  of  the 
church.  Of  these  we  can  make  only  the  most  brief  refer¬ 
ence.  They  inclnde,  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  our 
city, from  an  open  prairie  to  more  than  ten  thousand  peo¬ 
ple,  not  to  mention  the  vigor  of  our  sister  city  and  its  pro¬ 
gress;  the  location  here  and  the  evolution  of  a  great  Uni¬ 
versity;  the  vital  relation  which  this  church,  from  the 
first, has  sustained  with  the  student  body  and  the  facul¬ 
ty;  and  the  mutual  service  which  these  have  given  to  the 
church  and  which  the  church  has  given  to  them.  Nor 
can  we  begin  to  do  justice  to  those  noble  women,  who 
have  labored  with  us  in  the  work.  What  cause  has  not 
had  their  tireless  support?  What  project  has  been  in¬ 
augurated  and  pushed  to  success, without  their  versatile 
labors?  In  this  church  there  ever  have  been  worthy 
successors  of  those,  who  were  “last  at  the  cross  and 
first  at  the  tomb.” 

Here,  therefore,  is  the  transcript  from  the  record 
of  our  church,  confessedly  too  short  to  do  justice  to  the 
truth.  Only  fifty  years  of  existence,  and  yet  within 
that  period  the  organization  of  this  body  has  been  more 
than  justified.  After  this  rehearsal  of  the  facts,  I  need 
not  ask  the  question,  “did  it  pay?”  “Was  the  invest¬ 
ment  wise?”  While  others,  in  that  early  time,  were  in¬ 
vesting  time,  money  and  energy  in  the  soil,  does  the 
verdict  of  time  approve  their  effort  for  the  soul?  No 
real  appreciation  of  the  worth  of  character  and  spiritual 
life, can  doubt  what  the  proper  answer  must  be.  When, 
therefore,  we  compare  values  today,  let  us  not  lightly 
judge  the  work  of  those  who  chose  to  lay  up  their 
treasure  in  heaven.  And  let  us  not  overestimate  the 
foresight  of  those  who  declined  to  pledge  talent  and 


22 


posessions  for  Christ  and  His  church. 

On  certain  festal  days  in  the  Roman  ag-e,  there 
occurred  g-reat  processions,  which  included  striking- 
memorial  features.  This  element  of  the  celebration, 
was  the  g-iving-  of  honor  to  those  who  had  disting-uished 
themselves,  in  a  previous  day,  by  some  notable  act. 
Young-  men  of  the  city,  would  carry  aloft  in  the  proces¬ 
sion,  the  imag-es  and  busts  of  famous  ancestors,  who 
had  well  served  their  ag-e,  and  who  had  closed  their 
careers.  By  this  symbol,  the  young-  men  declared,  in 
public,  the  character  and  spirit  to  which  they  promised 
devotion.  This  act  was  not  merely  a  proper  esteem 
paid  to  departed  men,  it  was  also  a  public  pledg-e  of 
readiness  to  perform  a  like  service  for  their  country. 
Thus  were  their  immortal  dead  reg-arded  as  present 
with  them, and  witnessing-  this  honor  and  this  consecra¬ 
tion.  It  was  a  custom  that  produced  indescribable  feel¬ 
ing-  and  enthusiasm.  We  too,  are  surrounded  by  a 
g-reat  cloud  of  witnesses.  They  are  the  members  of  a 
previous  day,  who  have  here  borne  testimony  to  the 
truth.  They  recall  their  own  hopes  and  toil  and  faith. 
They  remember  that  their  work  was  left  unfinished. 
And  they  cannot  forg-et  their  trust,  that  there  should 
arise  after  them  men  of  like  spirit  and  devotion,  who 
should  finish  what  they  have  so  well  beg-un.  Out  of  the 
distance  they  speak  to  us  today.  By  listening-  intently 
we  may  catch  their  messag-e.  Thoug-h  we  hear  no 
sound  of  voice,  and  see  no  form  of  man,  yet  we  feel  their 
presence,  and  accept  the  long-ing-  of  their  hearts.  There¬ 
fore,  we  solemnly  respond,  in  the  lang'uag-e  of  another 
immortal,  “That  we  here  hig-hly  resolve,  that  these 

shall  not  have  toiled  in  vain,  but  that  the  truth,  and  the 
church, for  which  they  labored, shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth.” 


23 


